How to draw three-dimensional figures for beginners. How to draw a cylinder with a pencil with a shadow step by step? Step-by-step instructions and recommendations

If you are new to fine art and want to learn how to create easy 3D pencil drawings for beginners, then our article will help you understand the first basics.

3D paintings have taken the art of painting to a whole new level. Many modern artists are creating mind-blowing 3D drawings that literally burst out of the surface of the paper through the use of shadows, impeccable perspective, and the use of multiple sheets of paper to create a more complex composition.

You can learn to draw just like these masters, but first you need to learn more about the basic principles and techniques. We will help you with this.

Basic principles

The first point that needs to be mastered when drawing three-dimensional images is how to correctly cover the place on the sphere that is farthest from the light with shading.

Those points on which the light falls should be the lightest, and the surface of the object should become darker the further you move from the light source.

If you plan to take a photo of your drawing, as many artists do, you should pay attention to the actual light source where you are working. See how it affects the object you are drawing. This can enhance the impression that the object in the drawing is actually in the room.

Don't forget to work out how different textures (stone, brick, leaves) look depending on the lighting.

This is not such a difficult thing when you remember its basic rule: objects that are closer to the viewer are depicted larger than those that are further away.

If you want to visually check this rule and make sure it really works, just find a long street, stand at the end of it in the middle and look in the opposite direction. The width of the road will gradually decrease towards the horizon.

When you draw your 3D picture, think about how the viewer will be positioned, how will he look at it - from the side or from above?

Going beyond the sheet. Some artists use their hand as an addition to the drawing. The fact is that the hand interacts with the drawing and adds a sense of reality, complementing the 3D effect.

At first, in some photographs it is clear that the master seems to be holding his image with his fingers... But only then we see that this is just an illusion.

Some craftsmen choose a real glass or pencil to interact with the picture. They place them in some way next to or even on the depicted objects. And sometimes it’s not clear where reality is and where creativity is!

Drawing 3D shapes

If you want to learn how to draw 3D pictures realistically with a pencil, then you should start with basic three-dimensional geometric shapes. Once you understand the principles of drawing multidimensional shapes, you can apply what you learn to any object.

In our lesson we will look at how to create, step by step, three-dimensional pencil drawings of such shapes as a prism, pyramid, cube, cylinder, sphere and cone.

Both of these shapes are based on triangles.

When drawing a prism, start with a regular isosceles triangle and a small point somewhere off to the side (a point on the horizon). It doesn't matter which side you chose.

Start building two dotted lines from the top of the triangle to our point and from the corner of the base, which is closer to it. Determine how long the prism will be. Remember that its farthest visible edge will be parallel to the side of the triangle relative to which the prism was aligned.

To create a pyramid, draw an equilateral triangle with its base dotted. From the vertex, construct a vertical segment down. It should fall just below the dotted line.

Connect the bottom point of the segment diagonally with the corners at the base of the triangle. It’s okay if the angles are not exactly identical, it will even add realism.

This figure can be depicted in several ways, below you will see two of them.

Method 1. Draw two squares of the same size. One should partially overlap the other, how much is up to you. Connect the upper and lower corners of the two squares, thus forming the edges of the figure.

Method 2. The drawing principle here is reminiscent of the approach we used when depicting the pyramid. Only this time you need to make three equal parallel lines. The two lines on the sides should be at the same level, and the one in the middle should be lowered a little lower.

Connect the top points of the three lines with diagonals, do the same with the bottom points. Draw lines through the top points parallel to the top edges of the cube closest to you. At their intersection a point is formed - the far corner of the cube.

Cylinder

Start with an oval. Don't worry if you don't get it straight the first time. Train!

If your oval is vertical, then draw perpendicular horizontal lines from its extreme points above and below (if the oval is horizontal, then vice versa). Carry them out as long as you need, depending on how long you want the cylinder to be.

Connect the extreme points of the drawn segments with a curved line that follows the roundness of the oval. To make sure that the top and bottom of the cylinder are the same shape, try turning the design upside down or 90 degrees. This will change your perspective and any inconsistencies will stand out.

There are several different in complexity ways to depict a sphere. But in any case, drawing a sphere will start with a simple circle. Draw it by hand or trace an object, such as a glass.

To make the circle look like a volumetric sphere, you need to correctly shade its surface and define the shadow areas. First, the brightest place of the ball is determined, where the light falls. Then intensive shading begins on the opposite side. There the shadow will be darkest.

Gradually move towards the lightest area, reducing the intensity of the color until you end up with the lightest color. Try to ensure that your strokes follow the shape of the ball and are not sharp or perpendicular.

To ensure that the transitions from shadow to light are minimally noticeable, shade the surface of the sphere with your finger or a special blending brush.

This figure is a cross between a cylinder and a pyramid. So, let's use our knowledge about both figures and apply it now in drawing.

When trying to draw any shape in 3D, straight lines are important. To do this, especially at first, use a ruler or some other flat object made of durable material (so as not to sag) with a straight edge.

Be careful about the angles and placement of the lines. For example, shapes such as a cube have right angles and parallel lines at their base. And the angles of a cone can be different.

Compare angles using a pencil. If you want to achieve a really technical drawing, then use a protractor. Pencils and erasers are your friends. Whenever possible, draw with a pencil to get the right angles and lines.

So, you have learned how to draw 3D drawings for beginners with a pencil step by step, basic geometric shapes that are the basis for various objects. Therefore, you can apply the acquired knowledge in drawing many objects.

It's very easy, but it's far from true. To depict volume and shadow, you need skill and accuracy in your work. Let's look at how to draw a cylinder with a pencil.

First option

There are many options for drawing with a pencil, we will analyze one of them step by step. To work you will need a pencil, preferably medium soft, an eraser and a sheet of white paper, you can take A4 format.

Progress:

Draw two parallel lines. At the top and bottom, connect the segments with ovals. Since this is a drawing lesson, do not use any rulers, try to place your hand right away, so that in the future it will be easier to draw various objects.
Make two perpendicular lines in the upper oval, and draw a line down from the middle.
Also draw two lines below.
Outline the outline more brightly and proceed to the shadow.
Select the right side for a darker shade; on the left side the cylinder will remain white. The shadow must be applied carefully, shading the pencil. The shade should change very smoothly.
Draw the shadow of the cylinder. Since it is darker on the right, we depict it from the front.
There is no exact length, since at different times of the day the length of the shadow from objects is not the same.
In this case, we take about a third of the height of the cylinder. Draw two parallel diagonal segments and connect their vertices.
Paint over the shadow.

The work is ready. This is one of the simplest options, since we did not use perspective and only depicted one cylinder.

Second option

In this master class we will look at how to draw a cylinder with a pencil at a more professional level, so if you are unsure of your abilities, it is better not to take on the job. And also this graphics technique is not suitable for small children.

To work you will need:

paper, and for beginning artists it is better to purchase a special medium-grain paper, which is much more pleasant to draw on;
several pencils with varying degrees of hardness;
eraser;
a stick to rub the shading (you can just roll the paper into a cone and rub it with it).

Advice before starting to create: create a sketch with thick strokes, as they are easier to erase later.

Let's move on to the work itself, how to draw a cylinder step by step:

Mark a sheet of paper. This is necessary to correctly determine the location of the figure.
We make markings. To do this, draw two vertical lines by hand, lightly pressing the pencil. Then two horizontal ones - top and bottom to connect the rectangle.
Next we draw a pair of ellipses (bottom and top) - this is the base of the cylinder. To make them the correct shape, you should mark two points at the same distance from the center of the top and bottom lines in both directions, and then draw a figure.
Let's move on to toning. Let's assume that the light source is located at the top right. And, starting from this, we will draw the brightest and darkest places.
The darkest part will be the front side, just to the left of center. Now we move on to shading, it is desirable that the strokes repeat the shape of the object.
All that remains is to draw the shadow of the cylinder, let’s make it small and in the form of a cone mirrored from the cylinder.

The work is ready. To hide the brightness of the shading, take a rubbing stick or paper and smoothly move with small movements across the sheet until we achieve the desired effect.

It is best to hone your skills by drawing a real object, so it is wiser to take an object as a basis. In the shape of a cylinder there are many things around you, such as a glass.

Multiple cylinders

Now let's look at how to draw a cylinder with a pencil with a shadow if we want to display several objects at once.

Step by step drawing:

Draw two anchor points.
Step back down a certain distance and draw an ellipse.
Now draw two vertical lines up and draw an ellipse there too.
Erase the extra bottom line, you will get a kind of saucepan.
Now place two parallel points behind the figure.
Draw an ellipse and two lines down from it, one line only to the first figure, and the second to the desired length.
Draw a bottom curved line to close the second shape.
Draw the third cylinder on the other side in the same way.
Now we draw the shadow. It will be on the right, so on all figures we paint the right side with denser shading.
Using small strokes in the form of a rectangle from the beginning of the curved line, draw the shadow of objects on the surface.

Your work is ready. We looked at how to draw a cylinder with a shadow, with several elements in the picture.

Using the same principle, you can draw many turrets at your discretion, the main thing is not to use a ruler and not to go into the first figures, so that the work turns out to be three-dimensional.

Drawing a cylinder on the table

Now let's look at how to draw a cylinder with an environment. To draw everything correctly, take a real object and place it on the table. And adjust the light so that the shadow falls beautifully on the table, but is not too short or long.

The most accurate drawing can be made on a tablet by stretching a sheet of paper over it. The suitable size of this device is 30 by 40 cm.

Let's move on to the process of creating a drawing:

Decide on the location of the figure and draw “invisible lines” for the future cylinder.
Construct a cylinder by first drawing two parallel lines, then an ellipse at the top and bottom.
"Invisible lines" will also be required for the correct placement of light and shadow. Draw invisible edges on the front side of the cylinder so that you understand which areas will be darker and which will be lighter.
Hatching is done according to the shape of the figure, in small lines, so that later it is easier to smudge the strokes.
Fill in the pre-drawn shadow. It should be darker.
Now you need to draw the plane of the table and the back wall. Moreover, the back wall will be darker than the table, but lighter than the main shadow of the figure.

Thus, you can draw a three-dimensional figure very carefully and slowly. It doesn't have to be a cylinder; you can take a sphere or a cube.

How to draw a composition with several objects

To practice your skill, use several figures at once. A cube is a good place to start, and place a cylinder on top of it. Adjust the light so that the shadow falls beautifully on the table and start drawing.

How to draw a cylinder and cube with a pencil:

Since we will have a cube below, we first draw it on a sheet of paper. To draw it correctly, first draw the front square, and then diagonal lines to add volume. Connect the lines at the back, then erase the extra edges.
Now let's draw a cylinder. The process of recreating it is no different from previous options, since a cube is also a flat plane.
Once you have positioned the shapes, erase the extra edges.
Let's move on to the shadows. Since we have a pyramid in our drawing, they will have one common shadow in the shape of a tower.
Draw the front shadows on the figures according to how the light falls on you.
Finish with the back wall and table.

Such compositions can be made in a wide variety of ways depending on your desire. Once you master the skill of drawing geometric shapes, you will be able to draw more complex objects or compositions.

To understand how to draw a cylinder correctly, it is better to take a real object as a basis, adjusting the lighting in advance.
It is more convenient to draw on a tablet, since the sheet will not slide.
Use pencils with varying degrees of hardness.
Take your time when completing the elements, and if something doesn’t work out, don’t be afraid to start over.

I continue to talk about exercises that improve drawing skills, in this case geometric shapes. We will practice drawing their two-dimensional display, three-dimensional display and shading of figures. So, Drawing Exercises. Part 2. Let's get started.

But before starting the exercises, I remind you that there is...

2D shapes

Circle. At first it will be difficult to draw an even, beautiful circle, so let’s help ourselves with a compass. Draw a circle with a light line and outline it. Once, then again, we remember the nature of the movement and try to reproduce it. You can help yourself by putting a few points to start with. Over time, if you do this exercise, the circles will turn out better and more beautiful. 🙂

Triangle. Let's try to draw an equilateral triangle. Again, to help ourselves, we can first draw a circle using a compass and inscribe our figure into it. But then we definitely try to draw it ourselves.

Square. Yes, it’s difficult to draw all sides the same and all angles 90 degrees the first time. Therefore, to remember the correct shape, we use a ruler. Then we draw point by point, and then independently, without auxiliary tools.

After the square, draw a rhombus, that is, the same square, but rotated 45 degrees.

Draw a 5-pointed star, draw without lifting the pencil from the paper. For the first time, you can use a compass and inscribe a star in a circle to achieve symmetry.

Six-pointed star. Draws as 2 equilateral triangles.

Eight-pointed star. Draws as 2 squares.

Egg. It is an oval that is narrower at one end than the other.

Crescent. This figure is not as easy to draw as it might seem at first glance. First, try to draw it yourself, and then with the help of a compass, remembering that the month is actually part of two intersecting circles.

3D shapes

Let's move on to three-dimensional figures. Let's start with the cube. We draw a square, then another square a little higher and to the right, connecting the corners with straight lines. We get a transparent cube. Now let's try to draw the same cube, but without visible lines inside.

Now we draw the cube from a different angle. To do this, first draw a flat parallelogram in the shape of a rhombus, lower their perpendiculars and draw the same figure at the base. And the same cube, but without visible lines.

Now let's try to draw a cylinder from different angles. The first cylinder will be transparent, draw an oval, lower the vertical lines down and draw an oval base. Then we draw a cylinder with an invisible lower inner edge and a cylinder with an invisible upper inner edge.

And we complete this cycle of figures by drawing a cone from different angles.

Let's draw a circle. We outline the shadow in the lower left corner with light shading. The shadow should be in the shape of a crescent. Next, we add tones to the shadow using more pressure on the pencil, shading from the center to the edge according to the principle from light to dark, while leaving a small area of lighter shadow at the border of the circle, this is a reflex. Next we shade the falling shadow, the further from the base of the ball, the lighter it is. The shadow is on the opposite side from the light source. That is, in our case, the light source is in the upper right corner.

Now let's shade the cube. In this case, the light is also in the upper right corner, which means the darkest shadow will be on the opposite side, there will be no shadow on top, and the right visible edge will have a lighter tone. Accordingly, we apply shading accordingly.

Using the same principle, we shade the sides on the cube and cone; it is important to monitor the shape of the object and how the light falls on it. And the cast shadow should also match the shape of the object.

And also, in the exercises for shading, diagonal shading is used, but I would advise you to try further shading according to the shape of the object, then the object will be more voluminous. But shading in shape, and shading in general, is a rather broad topic, I have already begun to study it and I will say that without training your hands and an even, quick stroke, there is no way here, so even if you only do what I have already posted, do it regularly, then the drawings will inevitably get better.

Let’s finish drawing and continue :)

Studying and drawing geometric bodies in educational academic drawing is the basis for mastering the principles and methods of depicting more complex forms.

Teaching the fine arts requires strict adherence to a sequence of increasing difficulty in learning tasks and repeated repetitions to master the technique. The most suitable form for mastering the principles of drawing is geometric bodies, based on clear structural structures. On simple geometric bodies It is easiest to understand and master the basics of volumetric-spatial design, the transfer of forms in perspective reduction, the patterns of light and shade and proportional relationships.

Simple drawing exercises geometric bodies allow you not to be distracted by details found in more complex forms, such as architectural objects and the human body, but to concentrate entirely on the main thing - visual literacy.

Correctly understood and mastered patterns when depicting simple forms should contribute to a more conscious approach to drawing complex forms in the future.

In order to learn how to competently and correctly depict the shape of an object, it is necessary to understand the internal structure of the object hidden from the eyes - the design. The word “design” means “structure”, “structure”, “plan”, that is, the relative arrangement of the parts of an object and their relationship. This is important to know and understand when depicting any form. The more complex the form, the more and more seriously you will have to study the internal structure of the full-scale model. So, for example, when drawing a living nature - a head or a human figure, in addition to knowing the design features, you should definitely know plastic anatomy. Therefore, without a clear understanding of the structure of the form and nature of the object, it is impossible to competently master drawing.

When depicting spatial forms, in addition to knowledge of the laws of the structure of the structure, knowledge of the laws of perspective, proportions, and light and shade is necessary. To correctly depict a full-scale model, you must accustom yourself to always analyze the nature, to clearly imagine its external and internal structure. You should approach your work consciously, from a scientific point of view. Only such drawing will contribute to the successful completion of work depicting both simple and complex forms.

At first glance, drawing geometric shapes seems quite easy to inexperienced draftsmen. But this is far from true. To confidently master drawing, you first need to master the methods of analyzing shapes and the principles of constructing simple bodies. Any shape consists of flat figures: rectangles, triangles, rhombuses, trapezoids and other polygons that delimit it from the surrounding space. The challenge is to correctly understand how these surfaces fit together to form a shape. To depict it correctly, you need to learn how to draw such figures in perspective in order to easily identify on a plane volumetric bodies bounded by these flat figures. Flat geometric figures serve as the basis for understanding the constructive construction of volumetric bodies. So, for example, a square gives an idea of the construction of a cube, a rectangle - of the construction of a parallelepiped prism, a triangle - of a pyramid, a trapezoid - of a truncated cone, a circle is represented by a ball, a cylinder and a cone, and ellipsoidal figures - spherical (ovoid) shapes.

All objects have volumetric-spatial characteristics: height, length and width. To define and depict them on a plane, dots and lines are used. The points define the characteristic nodes of the structure of objects; they establish the relative spatial arrangement of the nodes, which characterizes the design of the form as a whole.

Line is one of the main visual means. Lines indicate the outline of objects that form their shape. They indicate height, length, width, structural axes, auxiliary lines that define space, construction lines, and much more.

For thorough study, geometric shapes are best viewed as transparent wireframe models. This allows you to better trace, understand and master the basics of spatial construction of structures and perspective reduction of the shapes of geometric bodies: cube, pyramid, cylinder, ball, cone and prism. At the same time, this technique greatly facilitates the construction of a drawing in which all spatial angles, edges, and faces of the body are clearly visible, regardless of their rotations in space and in perspective reduction. Frame models allow the beginning artist to develop three-dimensional thinking, thereby facilitating the correct depiction of a geometric shape on the plane of paper.

To thoroughly consolidate in the minds of a novice artist a volumetric-spatial understanding of the structure of these forms, it would be most effective to make them with your own hands. Models can be made without much difficulty from available materials: ordinary flexible aluminum, copper or any other wire, wooden or plastic slats. Subsequently, in order to master the patterns of light and shade, it will be possible to make models from paper or thin cardboard. To do this, you need to make blanks - corresponding developments or separately cut planes for gluing. No less important is the modeling process itself, which will be more beneficial for students to understand the essence of the structure of a particular form than using a ready-made model. Making frame and paper models will require a lot of time, so in order to save time, you should not make large models - it is enough if their dimensions do not exceed three to five centimeters.

By turning the manufactured paper model at different angles to the light source, you can follow the patterns of light and shadow. In this case, attention should be paid to the change in the proportional relationships of the parts of the object, as well as to the prospective reduction of forms. By bringing the model closer and further away from the light source, you can see how the contrast of lighting on the subject changes. So, for example, when approaching a light source, light and shadow on a form acquire the greatest contrast, and as they move away they become less contrasting. Moreover, nearby corners and edges will be the most contrasting, and corners and edges located in spatial depth will be less contrasting. But the most important thing at the initial stage of drawing is the ability to correctly display the volumetric-spatial design of forms using points and lines on a plane. This is a fundamental principle in mastering the drawing of simple geometric shapes, as well as in the subsequent study of more complex shapes and their conscious depiction.

This lesson is part of the initial set of tasks in. WITH drawing geometric shapes acquaintance with the basic laws and rules of academic drawing begins.

For production, one, two or three geometric shapes are selected, for example, a cube, a cylinder or a plaster vase with a simple cross-section. Objects are depicted on a white object plane, against a light background. The emphasis is on the image of the figure, excluding the elaboration of the surrounding space. Lighting is installed above and to the left of objects for a visual structure of classical volumes and a greater difference between light and shadow, which in the first stages of training is of great importance for analyzing shape and transmitting tonal gradations on a sheet.

The purpose of drawing geometric shapes.

Learn to arrange objects on a sheet of paper;
Master the basic skills of constructing and shaping objects on a plane;
Get an idea of the perspective location, shortening the horizon line;
Acquire the skills of working with a pencil, putting a stroke on a form, using tones and halftones, and competently conveying the layout of plans.

To work with subsequent tasks of the program, all the techniques used here will be useful. The main result of this task, of course, is the ability to arrange objects in space. Your drawing will become a reflection of the space on the sheet, where everything is subject to the immutable laws of composition and the location of light and shade on objects.

Examples of drawings of simple geometric shapes made by students of our school.

This is a basic and important task, where, using a simple example, without cluttering objects and tones, the design and principles of constructing the key form that underlies most things - the cube - are clearly demonstrated. This simple geometric figure contains the basis for creating any object.

The work has been completed.

Having learned to correctly construct and depict the corners, edges and planes of a cube, accurately depict perspective contraction, correctly identify vanishing points, and model volume and shadows with strokes, you will be able to intuitively imagine the designs and volumes of any objects. It is not for nothing that the basis of three-dimensional modeling of complex structures is always a cube, as the basis for creating any subsequent form. And for drawing, a cube is the embodiment of a three-dimensional image; when drawing it on a sheet of paper, lines show the vertical as the height, the horizontal as the width and the third line as the depth, which reveals the space, making the object three-dimensional.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this task. Don’t be put off by the simplicity of the production, as it contains the fundamental principle of creating works of art: from simple to complex.